About 700 migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean have drowned in three separate shipwrecks since last week, according to the United Nations and Italian authorities.
William Spindler, spokesman for the UN Refugee Agency, said the accidents at sea come at a time when many refugees continue to make the dangerous journey from Libya to Italy. He said that search and rescue groups have already saved as many as 14,000 individuals who tried to make the crossing over the past week.
The first of the shipwrecks reportedly occurred on Wednesday. It involved a fishing boat that was carrying hundreds of refugees.
Spindler said when the passengers saw a rescue vessel approaching them, many rushed to one side of their boat, causing it to lift and then flip over.
While some of the passengers fell into the water, it is believed that hundreds more were still inside the ship's hold when it sank. About a hundred of these trapped refugees likely drowned during the incident.
Spindler said another shipwreck was reported on Thursday, this time involving as many as 550 casualties. The vessel that the migrants were riding on was being pulled by a fishing boat when it began to take on water.
When people on the fishing boat noticed that the other vessel was starting to sink, they decided to cut the line in order prevent their boat from going down as well.
A survivor from the incident said they were trying to bail the water out of their vessel when the line to the fishing boat was suddenly cut. He quickly jumped into the sea and swam toward the boat just before the other vessel sank.
Members of the Italian Coast Guard were also able to rescue 135 migrants and recover 45 dead bodies from another shipwreck.
All three incidents involved vessels that set sail from the Libyan coast. They were filled with migrants that mostly came from areas in sub-Saharan Africa including Gambia, Guinea, Ivory Coast and Nigeria. Italian officials report that a large number of migrants are women and young children.
Spindler said they are having difficulties collecting information about shipwrecks, as many of the accidents are spread across the sea. He said they might still receive reports of other incidents of drowned or missing persons at sea.
